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[Paul16mm]

Hi,

My name is Paul, and I recently stumbled upon this forum.  I've been doing backyard outdoor movies for more than 10 years now.    I'm running 16mm film, which adds a great deal more fun to the shows, including the opportunity to show some really obscure material.

Here are some photos from a couple of years ago.

This is the screen, the film hasn't started yet.

The projector is in the open second story window.  No problem with people's heads getting in the way!

Here are people sitting down to watch the first short subject.

This is a view inside the "booth".  The projector is a Hokushin X-500, which I believe was made in the early 1970s.

[rfisk]

Hi Paul, welcome aboard!!

Glad you found us.  I've seen your pics somwhere in the past on the web.  I remember the 'projection booth' shot. 

I started to get interested in 16mm this spring when another 16mm user here introduced himself and started sharing some info about it.  But I kind of backed off.  I love vintage gear and (no surprise here) I was the A/V geek through grade school, so it would be cool to have a 16mm projector around.  I'd like to have one just for the flap, flap, flap on a rewind.  That would be like going back in time for me.

Do you run a big mono stock speaker in the back or what?  Seems like the vintage sound would be half the charm.

Randy

[Paul16mm]

I used to run a pair of 1940s Bell & Howell speakers under the screen right off the projector's amplifier.  It was adequate, though certainly not Hi-Fi.  The capacitors in the projector's amplifier started going bad, so I just bypassed the amp and am running it through a mic. mixer into some ordinary modern (1970s) home stereo gear. There is less distortion, and a broader range, and I can tweak the equalization.  Still it's mono, and the high end on a 16mm optical track is only around 8 kHz.  On the other hand, the movies I show aren't new enough to have had stereo sound in their theatrical runs anyway.  And it's way better than the little drive-in speaker you hang on your window :-)

[Paul16mm]

I noticed that this is almost the oldest posting in the showcase forum.  It's about time I added a belated update.

Here are some photos from the show we had in September.  We had the show the weekend after Labor day weekend, in order to accommodate those who were out of town prior to this.  Unfortunately, we didn't get a very big turnout.  Maybe the novelty is wearing off after 15 years of this.  We had some nice hot weather in late July / early August that we would have liked to do a movie on, but there always seemed to be a conflict. 

Photos below are 1) attaching screen to frame, 2) screen as set up 3) detail of back of screen 4) sound system.

[Paul16mm]

Here are some additional photos.

1) view of "booth" from below, 2) making popcorn, 3) watching the film & 4) a view from the "booth".

[gizmos]

Thanks for the update.  Great pics.

Do you ever dabble into video projection or do you keep it strictly celluloid/acetate?

[Paul16mm]

Do you ever dabble into video projection or do you keep it strictly celluloid/acetate?

Nah, I stick with the Reel McCoy.  It's a lot more fun than video projection.  Video is just too easy.  Of course my selection of features is somewhat limited, but it means that I won't be tempted to show last year's blockbuster.  And I've got lots of obscure short films that will probably never be issued in DVD.

[movieman]

I started out showing 8mm, then super 8 and then 16mm.  For a short time I had 2 portable 35mm projectors.  (Good old castle films was my down fall).  rg

[gizmos]

(Good old castle films was my down fall).  rg

Judging by the number of recent remakes of Bill Castle's productions.... You are in good company.  13 Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill, etc...